In a world where data is the new currency, social media is turning us all into walking, talking billboards and brands and we're meant to be mindful, manifesting and present, isn't it a bit rich to be expected to be happy too? After a lifetime spent actively searching for happiness as well as studying it, communications executive and yogi Lisa Portolan shares valuable insights into how we made happiness a science and an industry, created products around it and supported it with a whole heap of advertising to ensure that works, but is 'brand me' just a recipe for unhappiness? 'Lisa points the way to an alternative approach where instead of performing or pursuing an artificial construction of happiness, we can discover our authentic, holistic selves, and learn that this is enough.' - Tom Dawkins 'A big call, but coming from a practitioner of the dark arts of advertising and persuasion Lisa's insights are f*cking surprising and enlightening.' - Paul Bongiorno AM 'Lisa Portolan's fascinating exploration of happiness reveals fresh insights into this much-lauded but little-examined condition. Startling in its insight and surprising in its scale, Happy As sheds light into the darker corners of people's search for joy. And, oddly enough, it is an unbridled joy to read.' - Tim Ferguson

Three teenage girls from very different backgrounds find themselves sharing a hospital ward. When they witness a crime in the park below their window, they bond over trying to solve the crime and each one undergoes a profound change. A beautiful coming-of-age story about identity, expectation, class, justice, society, fairness, and, above all, kindness. 'Fresh insights into friendship and family are spun through tangents into chance and randomness ... and music and its power to trigger memory and give a rhythm and pace to life. Injured Evie, in particular, learns how to grow and walk away stronger.' - Weekend Australian 'Such a richly delicious read and I wanted it never to end ... I am a true fan' - Naomi Shihab Nye **Contains BONUS extract from Jane Godwin's newest novel, WHEN RAIN TURNS TO SNOW**

In 1876 Rolf Johnson and his family left Illinois for Phelps County, Nebraska. There they faced the challenges of pioneering on the Great Plains: digging wells, building sod houses, plowing and planting crops, and fighting prairie fires. Johnson's diary goes beyond individual conquest, however, and provides insight into the great cooperative endeavor of plains settlement. Rolf's Swedish family and neighbors worked and socialized with other Swedes just as nearby Danish settlers remained in close physical and cultural contact with other Danish immigrants. A very eligible ninetten-year-old bachelor, Rolf also offers touching vignettes on the rituals of courting. Abruptly, with no explanation in his diary, and with no itinerary or prospects, Rolf left home in 1879 "with the intention of going west for a season." His departure may have been sparked by the marital fervor exhibited by a female suitor. Rolf felt he was "not quite prepared to leave the state of single blessedness for that of double misery." In Sidney, Nebraska, he ran with the "sporting" element, who showed him photographs of "fast women of the town stark naked." He found employment with a wagon freighter headed for the Black Hills, where he saw Calamity Jane in action. Rolf's education continued until the diaries end in Cubero, New Mexico, in 1880. He returned to Phelps County in 1882 and remained there for most of his life. Rolf's lively diaries offer an entertaining eyewitness account of pioneer life and an unmatched resource for historians.

Have you ever wondered if your dog knows more about joyful living than you? I met a man who told me, "For years I was so miserable that I prayed to God daily to please let me wake up as happy as my dog!" I went home and observed my dog Munchie, who is happy all the time. Munchie is the most joyful creature I have ever seen. He lives in a state of continuous delight and discovery. It became clear to me that Munchie knew something I didn’t know (or at least didn’t remember). So I decided to study Munchie’s attitude to see what he knew that I was missing. Professor Munchie’s lessons include: • Love to Be a Lover • Ask for What You Want • Keep Your Eye on the Ball • Give Your Heart to Someone • Get Off the Leash Sometimes • Dig Where the Real Bones Are • Don’t Settle for Mush • And Dream with Your Feet Moving

This humorous personal memoir recounts events in the life of a young girl growing up with her family of homesick British immigrants in a southwest Ontario village during WWII.

This international bestseller shows why the Danes are happy and how we can be, too. For decades Denmark has ranked at the top of the world’s happiness surveys. How is it that these 5.6 million Danes are so content when they live in a country that is dark and cold nine months of the year and where income taxes are at almost 60 percent? At a time when talk across the Western world is focused on unemployment woes, government overreach, and anti-taxation lobbies, our Danish counterparts seem to breathe a healthier and fresher air. Interweaving anecdotes and research, Malene Rydahl explores how the values of trust, education, and a healthy work-life balance with purpose—to name just a few—contribute to a “happy” population. From eye-opening stories about open-air vegetable stands to babies safely left unattended while parents have coffee, to very generous paternity leave policies, Rydahl provides tips that we can all apply to our daily lives regardless of where we live.

In 100 Ways to Be As Happy As Your Dog, animal behaviour expert Celia Haddon shows you 100 ways in which you, too, can master the art of being happy by learning from your favourite canine companions. Curious, affectionate and always full of energy, dogs have always been a source of joy for us no matter what we are going through in life. Whether you've got a Labrador, a poodle or a shih tzu, your dog is always there, ready to play fetch or offer a cuddle or go for long walks on the beach when you need it. So let animal behaviour expert and bestselling author Celia Haddon show you how you, too, can live a good life as a human by learning the art of happiness from our best animal friend.

Jimmy is your typical average Joe. He isnt very good at anything. Everything he does seems to just be average. Nothing he ever touches turns into gold. This is his guide in finding some kind of happiness in this crazy, chaotic world.

Happy as Harry is a positive, touching and uplifting book about happiness, written by the perfect life coach - Harry the one-eyed rescue dog, and his owner, Deana Luchia. Perfect for fans of Alfie and George, Haatchi & Little B and The Happiness Project. 'Dogs know how to be happy. It's what we do best. We cavort, careen, race and chase. Any day can be a good day, an amazing and fabulous day. You have the power to make an ordinary day extraordinary simply by deciding to make it so.' Harry the Dog Dogs are the happiest creatures in the world. They possess qualities that include their ability to live in the moment, their incredibly loving and playful natures and their innate forgiveness and joie de vivre. So a dog is the perfect narrator for a book about how to be happy. If dogs could share their secrets on happiness, this book is what they would say. The book is divided into six life-coaching sections: How to be Happy Love Well and be Well Loved Happy Families A Balanced Life How to be Good Saying Goodbyes Harry, along with a group of his closest friends, shows us how dogs approach life in all of these areas, and shares his simple and practical top tips for how we, as humans, can learn from dogs in order to live better, happier lives ('After every bath dry your whole body with a hairdryer'). We may have to dodge some curveballs at times, but there are plenty of challenges that can be overcome and doubts that can be banished by looking at the world through Harry's eyes.